Packaging material

ABSTRACT

A packaging material comprising a plurality of flexible strips of material integrally interconnected to one another along one end thereof so as to form a unitary mass and so that the strips of material are intertwineable with one another to form a resilient tuft. The strips of material interconnected via a border have a bonding material disposed thereon for bondingly connecting the packaging material to a container.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/119,170,filed Apr. 8, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/716,980,filed Nov. 20, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,300, issued May 21, 2002,which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/416,614, filed Oct. 12,1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,699, issued Feb. 20, 2001, which is acontinuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/087,737, filed May 29, 1998, now U.S.Pat. No. 5,992,637, issued Nov. 30, 1999 which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. Ser. No. 08/892,675, filed Jul. 14, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No.5,906,280, issued May 25, 1999, the contents of which are herebyexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates generally to packaging materialsfor packaging articles, and more particularly, but not by way oflimitation, to a packaging material which includes a plurality ofresilient strip members integrally interconnected to one another to forma unitary cushioning unit.

[0005] 2. Brief Description of the Related Art

[0006] In the process of shipping an article from one location toanother, the article is typically placed in a container along with aprotective packaging material to fill the voids about the article and tocushion the article during the shipping process. One common protectivepackaging material is comprised of a plurality of plastic foam,peanut-shaped members which are commonly known as “styrofoam peanuts.”An advantage in using styrofoam peanuts is the ease with which they maybe disposed about an article positioned in a container by simply pouringthe styrofoam peanuts from a dispenser.

[0007] However, while styrofoam peanuts have been widely accepted in thepackaging industry, they are not without disadvantages. For example, thelight weight and flowability of the styrofoam peanuts results in heavierobjects gravitating through the peanuts to the bottom of the containerwhere the object can be damaged. Also, while the flowability of thestyrofoam peanuts facilitates the introduction of the peanuts into acontainer, the receiver of the package is left with having to deal withthe peanuts upon removal of the article from the container in the formof having to clean up the mess left by the peanuts which are easilyscattered upon removal of the article from the container.

[0008] These and other disadvantages associated with the disposal ofstyrofoam peanuts has made paper protective packaging material a popularalternative. Paper is biodegradable, recyclable and renewable, making itan environmentally responsible choice. However, like styrofoam peanuts,paper packaging materials is not without disadvantages in that paper,particularly shredded paper, can be inconvenient to clean up and todispose of due to the lack of cohesiveness of the packaging material. Inaddition, due to the lack of resiliency in paper products, large amountsof paper are typically required to provide the bulk needed to adequatelycushion an object.

[0009] Strips of sheet material formed into tufts have also been usedfor many years. More specifically, material known as decorative grasshas been used in fruit baskets, Easter baskets, and picnic baskets andfor other decorative purposes. In addition, decorative grass has beenuse as a packaging material. The decorative grass of the prior art hasbeen produced by numerous methods and from a variety of materials suchas polymeric materials, paper, cellophane or the like. Typically, suchmaterials are cut and shredded to produce segments having predetermineddimensions. As such, decorative grass, like styrofoam peanuts and papermaterials described above, can be inconvenient to clean up and todispose of.

[0010] To this end, a packaging material is needed that includes aplurality of resilient strip members interconnected to one another so asto form a unitary cushioning unit. It is to such a packaging materialthat the present invention is directed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention is directed to a packaging material for usein filling baskets and protecting articles during a shipping process.The packaging material includes a plurality of strips of flexiblematerial integrally interconnected to one another along one end thereofso as to form a unitary mass and so that the strips of material areintertwineable with one another to form a resilient tuft.

[0012] The present invention is also directed to a packaging materialcomprising a flexible sheet of material having a border with a first endhaving a plurality of the narrow strips of material extending therefromand a second end having a plurality of narrow strips of materialextending therefrom such that the strips of material are integrallyinterconnected to one another so as to form a unitary mass and such thatthe strips of material are intertwineable with one another to form aresilient tuft.

[0013] The tuft formed from the plurality of strips of material may beincorporated into a package which additionally includes a container andan article positioned within the container. The tuft is arranged aboutthe article to substantially surround the article positioned within thecontainer. The tuft may also be caused to bond to the article and thecontainer. In this manner, the tuft will function as a protectivepackaging material which fills any voids and/or which cushions thearticle during a shipping process.

[0014] The objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tuft of packaging materialconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0016]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a strip of material used to formthe tuft of packaging material of FIG. 1.

[0017]FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fractional, cross-sectional view of thestrip of material shown in FIG. 2 taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

[0018]FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a system for making thestrip of material of FIG. 2.

[0019]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a basket having a tuft ofpackaging material disposed therein with a plurality of objectsdisplayed on the tuft.

[0020]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a package illustrating the tuft ofpackaging material used as a packaging material for cushioning anarticle during a shipping process.

[0021]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a mass of styrofoam peanutsconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a sheet of packaging materialconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0023]FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of a system for making thepackaging material of FIG. 8.

[0024]FIG. 10 is a plan view of a portion of a web of slitted material.

[0025]FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway, perspective view of a basketshowing the sheet of packaging material of FIG. 8 inserted therein.

[0026]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a package illustrating the tuftof the packaging material of FIG. 8 used to cushion an article during ashipping process.

[0027]FIG. 13 is perspective view of another embodiment of a packagingmaterial constructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 14 is an exploded, perspective view of the packaging materialof FIG. 13.

[0029]FIG. 15 is perspective view of another embodiment of a packagingmaterial. constructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0030]FIG. 16 is perspective view of another embodiment of a packagingmaterial constructed in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to FIGS.1-3, a tuft 10 of packaging material constructed in accordance with thepresent invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The tuft 10 is comprised ofa plurality of individual strips or strands of material 12 (FIG. 2),each characterized as having a first side 14 and a second side 16. Thestrips of material 12 can be fabricated from any flexible sheet ofmaterial, including paper, crepe paper, polymeric film, laminatedpolymeric film, and waxed paper, for example. The sheet of material mayhave printed matter and/or embossed pattern on at least one sidethereof, and the embossed pattern can be either in register or out ofregister with the printed pattern.

[0032] The printed pattern can be printed on the sheet of material in aconventional matter so that when the sheet of material is slit and cutto produce the strips of material 12, at least a substantial portion ofthe strip of material 12 contains at least a portion of the printedpattern. Further, different colors can be employed to provide theprinted pattern on the sheet of material.

[0033] The sheet of material can also be embossed so as to provide thesheet of material with an embossed pattern. Further, the sheet ofmaterial can be provided with an embossed pattern as well as a printedpattern, and the embossed pattern can be either in register or out ofregister with the printed material and/or printed design.

[0034] The strips of material 12 as briefly described above are referredto as “Easter grass” or “decorative grass”, and as mentioned above,decorative grass has been used for many years for filling fruit baskets,Easter baskets, and picnic baskets and for other decorative andpackaging purposes. The decorative grass of the prior art has beenproduced by numerous methods and from a variety of materials, such asthose listed above. Typically, such materials are shredded and cut toproduce segmented strips having predetermined dimensions. While theprior art methods for making decorative grass have been widely accepted,new methods for making decorative grasses with different aesthetic andfunctional qualities have been sought.

[0035] One technique for achieving these desired effects is to coat thestrips of material 12 with a bonding material such as an adhesive orcohesive whereby the individual strips of material 12 are caused tostick together when a plurality of the strips of material 12 are amassedto form a tuft, such as the tuft 10 shown in FIG. 1. As best shown inFIG. 3, the strip of material 12 is provided with a bonding material 18.The strip of material 12 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as being spot coatedwith the bonding material 18 on the first side 14 and the second side 16wherein the bonding material 18 is disposed as randomly disposed spotson the first and second sides 14 and 16 of the strip of material 12. Itwill be appreciated, however, that the bonding material 18 may beapplied in such a manner as to substantially cover one or both of thefirst and second sides 14 and 16 of the strip of material 12, or asstrips. Further, the bonding material 18 may be disposed in any of avariety of other patterns such as circles, dots or any other geometricor biomorphic shape, including decorative designs, so long as thebonding material 18 is positioned to function in accordance with thepresent invention.

[0036] The term “bonding material” when used herein can mean anadhesive, frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or anyadhesive/cohesive combination, having adhesive qualities (i.e.,qualities of adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient toeffect the connection between adjacent strips of material 12 broughtinto engagement with one another, between the strips of material 12 andan object such as a basket, box or other container and objects disposedin such containers. It will be appreciated that both adhesives andcohesives are well known in the art, and both are commerciallyavailable.

[0037]FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a system 20 for making strips ofmaterial 12 in accordance with the present invention. The system 20includes a roll of material 22 supported on a shaft 24 having a brakeassembly 26 operably connected thereto for controlling the rate ofwithdrawal of the material from the roll of material 22.

[0038] The roll of material 22 provides a web of sheet material 27 whichis passed through a slitter 28. The slitter 28 includes a plurality ofspaced apart, stationary knives or other conventional cutting mechanism,which slit or cut the web of sheet material 27 into strips or strands ofdesired width.

[0039] An effective amount of the bonding material 18 is next applied tothe slitted web of sheet material 27 to provide the desired coverage bya spray assembly 30, or by some other suitable means for applying thebonding material such as, for example, by brushing or rolling thebonding material onto the slitted web of sheet material 27.

[0040] After the bonding material 18 has been applied to the slitted webof sheet material 27, the slitted web of sheet material 27 is passedinto a cutter 32 where the slitted web of sheet material 27 is cut intopredetermined lengths so as to form the strips of material 12. From thecutter 32, the strips of material 12 are conveyed by a conveyor unit 34,which is in the form of a centrifugal blower, to a storage area (notshown) which may be in the form of a suitable bin, packaging machine, orthe like.

[0041] As an alternative to forming the decorative grass from the rollof material 22, it will be appreciated that the strips of material 12may be formed from a polymeric film discharged from a film extrusion diewhich is then chilled prior to the slitting process. Such a method isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,266, entitled “Process for MakingDecorative Grass”, issued to Weder et al. on Sep. 29, 1981, which ishereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Also, while thebonding material 18 is shown herein as being applied to the web of sheetmaterial 27 after the slitting step, it will be appreciated that thebonding material 18 may be applied to the web of sheet material 27 priorto the slitting step or to the formed strips of material 12 after suchare cut to length.

[0042] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the strips of material 12 tend to curland form folds during the forming process. It will be appreciated thatthese curls and folds contribute to the resiliency and bulkiness orfluffiness of the tuft 10 produced by amassing and intertwining aplurality of the strips of material 12. It will be further appreciatedthat the degree to which the strips of material 12 are curled and foldedcan vary dependant on several factors, such as the type of material usedto form the strips of material 12, as well as the type of bondingmaterial applied to the strips of material 12 and the amount of bondingmaterial applied.

[0043] In use, the strips of material 12 are amassed, intertwined, andbondably connected to form the tuft 10. FIG. 5 illustrates one use ofthe strips of material 12 described above. That is, the tuft 10fabricated from the strips of material 12 is shown disposed in a basket36 and supporting a plurality of objects 38, such as candies or Eastereggs, for display. FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative use for the stripsof material 12. In FIG. 6, the tuft 10 fabricated from the strips ofmaterial 12 is being used as a packaging material for protecting anarticle 40 disposed in a container 42. In this manner, the tuft 10functions as a protective packaging material which fills any voids andcushions the article during transport.

[0044] An advantage of applying the bonding material 18 to the strips ofmaterial 12 is that the degree of springiness or fluffiness of the tuft10 can be controlled. That is, a problem experienced with the use ofsome decorative grasses in the filling of gift baskets and Easterbaskets is that the fluffiness or springiness of the decorative grasscauses objects, such as candy and fruit, displayed on the decorativegrass, to be expelled from the basket or moved to a different positionin the basket. As such, it is desirable to be able to control the amountof resiliency or springiness of the decorative grass. By bonding thestrips of material 12 to one another, the degree to which the strips ofmaterial 12 are able to flex relative to one another can be controlledthrough the amount of bonding material 18 applied to the strips ofmaterial 12 and the tack of the bonding material 18.

[0045] Another advantage of having the strips of material 12 bond to oneanother includes the mess associated with loose packing or fillermaterials falling onto the floor or clinging to various objects beingalleviated. Also, the tuft 10 fabricated of the strips of material 12can be caused to adhere or cohere to an object and/or containerresulting in an enhanced packing effect. That is, with loose packingmaterials, the object being packed has a tendency to gravitate throughthe packing material to the bottom of the container thereby reducing theeffectiveness of the packing material. By using the strips of material12 disclosed herein, the cohesiveness of the tuft 10 surrounding theobject prevents the object from gravitating through the decorativegrass.

[0046] In addition, the use of a bonding material 18 on the strips ofmaterial 12 enhances the shape sustaining characteristics of the tuft10. When the strips of material 12 are amassed to form the tuft 10, eachstrip of material 12 is normally bent and folded when a crushing forceis applied to the tuft 10 whereby the strips of material 12 are causedto be flattened thereby giving the tuft 10 a lesser cushioning quality.With the strips of material 12 adhered to one another, the strips ofmaterial 12 are caused to maintain their folds in opposition to forcesattempting to flatten the folds, thereby giving the tuft 10 greatercrush resistance and providing enhanced capabilities as a functionalpackaging material in that the strips of material 12 which are moredifficult to crush would continue to occupy space and create acushioning effect. As such, a lesser quantity of the strips of material12 provided with the bonding material 18 could have the same cushioningeffect and occupy the same volume as that of a larger quantity ofnon-treated strips of material.

[0047] In addition to the functional advantages provided by the stripsof material 12, the ability of the strips of material 12 to adhere toone another also permits the creation of various decorative effects. Forexample, because the strips of material 12 are able to adhere to oneanother, one may cause the strips of material 12 to clump in a varietyof different configurations. In other words, the strips of material 12treated with the bonding material 18 can be manipulated into a desiredform or shape as to result in a desired decorative effect.

[0048] It will be appreciated that the qualities and characteristics ofthe tuft 10 formed from a plurality of the strips of material 12 can bevaried depending on the number of surfaces of the strip of material 12the bonding material 18 is applied to, the pattern in which the bondingmaterial 18 is applied, and the tackiness of the bonding material 18used.

[0049] In addition to the above mentioned advantages of the strips ofmaterial 12 treated with the bonding material 18, FIG. 7 illustrates theconcept of treating other conventional packaging materials with abonding material to form a cohesive unit. More specifically, FIG. 7illustrates a packaging material 50 comprising a plurality of plasticfoam, peanut shaped members 52, which are commonly known as “styrofoampeanuts”, coated with a bonding material 54. The bonding material 54 canbe any suitable adhesive or cohesive which can be used to effect thebonding or connecting of two adjacent styrofoam peanuts 52. Also the“tack” of the bonding material 54 may be varied depending on the bondingcharacteristics desired. The bonding material 54 may be disposed on theouter surface of the styrofoam peanuts 52 by any conventional mannerwhich may include spraying, rolling, or brushing. Also, the bondingmaterial 54 may be applied to the styrofoam peanuts 52 as a solid coat,strips, spots, or any combination thereof.

[0050] By treating the styrofoam peanuts 52 with the bonding material54, the problems associated with objects gravitating through the peanutsto the bottom of a container is reduced or eliminated and the messassociated with the use of styrofoam peanuts 52 is reduced. That is, bythe styrofoam peanuts 52 being maintained as a cohesive unit, they areless likely to become scattered across a room or blown by the windthereby facilitating reuse or disposal of the styrofoam peanuts 52.

[0051] Referring now to FIG. 8, a packaging material 60 constructed inaccordance with the present invention is illustrated. The packagingmaterial 60 includes a sheet of flexible material 62 having a pluralityof individual strips or strands of material 64 extending from a border66 whereby the strips of flexible material 64 are integrallyinterconnected to one another along one end thereof. As such, the stripsof material may be intertwined with one another so as to form aresilient tuft, as described below, while the mess associated with loosepacking or filler materials falling onto the floor or clinging tovarious objects is alleviated.

[0052] The packaging material 60 can be fabricated from any flexiblesheet of material, including paper, crepe paper, polymeric film,laminated polymeric film, and waxed paper, for example. Further, anythickness or stiffness of the sheet of material 62 may be utilized inaccordance with the present invention so long as the strips of material64 are sufficiently flexible and resilient to function as a cushioningmaterial, as described herein. The sheet of material 62 preferably has athickness of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mils. The sheet of materialmay have printed matter and/or embossed pattern on at least one sidethereof, and the embossed pattern can be either in register or out ofregister with the printed pattern.

[0053] The printed pattern can be printed on the sheet of material 62 ina conventional manner so that when the sheet of material is slit and cutto produce the strips of material 64, at least a substantial portion ofthe strip of material 64 contains at least a portion of the printedpattern. Further, different colors can be employed to provide theprinted pattern on the sheet of material 62.

[0054] The sheet of material 62 can also be embossed so as to providethe sheet of material 62 with an embossed pattern. Further, the sheet ofmaterial 62 can be provided with an embossed pattern as well as aprinted pattern, and the embossed pattern can be either in register orout of register with the printed material and/or printed design.

[0055] The sheet of material 62 can be of any shape, configuration orsize so long as the sheet of material 62 is sufficiently sized andshaped to be formed into the packaging material 60. For example, thesheet of material 62 may have a square, rectangular, round, oval,octagonal or asymmetrical shape.

[0056] To secure the packaging material 60 within a container, such as abasket 68 (FIG. 11), for example, at least one side of the border 66 maybe provided with a bonding material 70. The border 66 is illustrated inFIG. 8 as having a strip of bonding material 70. It will be appreciated,however, that the bonding material 70 may be applied in such a manner asto substantially cover one or both of the first and second sides of theborder 66. Further, the bonding material 70 may be disposed in any of avariety of other patterns such as circles, dots or any other geometricor biomorphic shape, including decorative designs, so long as thebonding material 70 is positioned to function in accordance with thepresent invention.

[0057] The term “bonding material” when used herein can mean anadhesive, frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or anyadhesive/cohesive combination, having adhesive qualities (i.e.,qualities of adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient toeffect the connection between the border and an object such as a basket,box or other container. It will be appreciated that both adhesives andcohesives are well known in the art, and both are commerciallyavailable.

[0058]FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a system 72 for making thepackaging material 60 in accordance with the present invention. Thesystem 72 includes a roll of material 74 which provides a web of sheetmaterial 76. The web of sheet of material 76 is passed through a slitter78. The slitter 78 includes a plurality of spaced apart knives or otherconventional cutting mechanism, which are capable of slitting or cuttingthe web of sheet material 76 into strips or strands of desired width.The slitter 78 is mounted to an actuator 80 adapted to move the slitter78 between a web engaging position wherein the slitter 78 cuttinglyengages the web of sheet material 76 to form a slit portion 81 (FIG. 10)along the web of sheet material 76 and a non-engaging position whereinthe slitter 78 is disengaged from the web of sheet material to allow forthe formation of a border portion 82 (FIG. 10) as the web of sheetmaterial 76 passes by the disengaged slitter 78. The slit portions 81and the border portions 82 will generally be twice the length of theborder and the strips of an individual unit of the packaging material 60whereby individual units of the packaging material 60 can be formed bybisecting the border portions 82 and the slit portions 81, as designatedin FIG. 10 at numerals 83 a and 83 b, respectively.

[0059] An effective amount of the bonding material 70 is next applied tothe border portions 82 created on the slitted web of sheet material 76to provide the desired coverage by a spray assembly 84, or by some othersuitable means for applying the bonding material 70 such as, forexample, by brushing or rolling the bonding material 70 onto the borderareas of the slitted web of sheet material 76.

[0060] As an alternative, or in addition, to providing the border 66with the bonding material 70, the strips of material 64 can be coatedwith a bonding material in the manner described above in reference tothe strips of material 12, whereby the individual strips of material 64of the packaging material 60 are caused to stick together when thestrips of material 64 are amassed to form a tuft, as described below. Asshown in FIG. 8, the strips of material 64 are provided with a bondingmaterial 85. The strips of material 64 are illustrated in FIG. 8 asbeing spot coated with the bonding material 85 on one side with thebonding material 85 disposed as randomly disposed spots on the strips ofmaterial 64. It will be appreciated, however, that the bonding material85 may be applied in such a manner as to substantially cover one or bothsides of the strips of material 64, or as strips. Further, the bondingmaterial 85 may be disposed in any of a variety of other patterns suchas circles, dots or any other geometric or biomorphic shape, includingdecorative designs, so long as the bonding material 85 is positioned tofunction in accordance with the present invention.

[0061] After the bonding material 70 and/or 85 has been applied to theweb of sheet material 76, the slitted web of sheet material 76 is passedinto a cutter 86 where the slitted web of sheet material 76 is cut intopredetermined lengths so as to form the packaging material 60 by cuttingthe web of sheet material 76 across the slit portion 81 at 83 b andacross the border portion 82 at 83 a, as illustrated in FIG. 10, therebyforming individual units of the packaging material 60 illustrated inFIG. 8.

[0062] From the cutter 86, the packaging material 60 is conveyed by aconveyor unit 87 to a packaging area (not shown) where the individualunits of the packaging material 60 are packaged. Alternatively, aplurality of sheets of the packaging material 60 can be stacked andformed into a pad. Also, the sheets of the packaging material 60 can beformed into a roll of material. In this instance, the slitted web ofsheet material 76 would be perforated so as to define individual sheetsof the packaging material 60, rather than cut completely, so that thesheets of the packaging material 60 remain connected to one another andyet can be easily separated from an adjacent sheet when desired.

[0063] The bonding material 70, if present, may have a backing orrelease strip (not shown). The backing or release strip may be leftapplied for a period of time to the bonding material 70 prior to its useas a packaging material, to protect the bonding qualities of the bondingmaterial 70.

[0064] As an alternative to forming the packaging material from the rollof material 74, it will be appreciated that the packaging material 60may be formed from a polymeric film discharged from a film extrusion diewhich is then chilled prior to the slitting process. Such a method isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,266, entitled “Process for MakingDecorative Grass”, issued to Weder et al. on Sep. 29, 1981, which ishereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Also, while thebonding material 70 is shown herein as being applied to the web of sheetmaterial 76 after the slitting step, it will be appreciated that thebonding material 70 may be applied to the web of sheet material 76 priorto the slitting step or to the formed packaging material 60 after suchare cut to length.

[0065] In use, the border 66 of the packaging material 60 is preferablysecured to the interior surface of a container, such as the basket 68,via the bonding material 70. The border 66 can be secured to theinterior surface of the basket 68 with the border 66 being oriented in avariety of different directions. However, one manner of securing theborder 66 to the interior surface of the basket 68 is to extend theborder 66 circumferentially along the sidewall of the basket 68.Depending on the length of the border 66, the border 66 can be extendedalong the sidewall of the basket in a helical fashion, therebyincreasing the density of the strips of material 64. With the border 66secured to the basket 68, the strips of material 64 can be amassed andintertwined to form a resilient tuft 88. In this manner, the strips ofmaterial 64 will support a plurality of objects 90, such as candies orEaster eggs, for display, and remain in the basket.

[0066] It will be appreciated that the packaging material 60 can beeffectively utilized without having to secure the packaging material 60to the basket 68. In this instance, the packaging material 60 is simplyplaced in the basket 68 and the strips of material 64 are amassed andintertwined to form the resilient tuft 88.

[0067]FIG. 12 illustrates an alternative use for the packaging material60. In FIG. 12, the tuft 88 fabricated from the strips of material 64 isbeing used as a packaging material for protecting an article 91 disposedin a container 92. In this manner, the tuft 88 functions as a protectivepackaging material which fills any voids and cushions the article duringtransport.

[0068] Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, another embodiment of apackaging material 100 is illustrated. The packaging material 100 isconstructed of a plurality of sheets of material 102 stacked and bondedtogether. Each sheet of material 102 is substantially identical to thesheets of material 62 described above. That is, each sheet of material102 has a plurality of individual strips or strands of material 104extending from a border 106 whereby the strips of flexible material 104are integrally interconnected to one another along one end thereof.

[0069] The sheets of material 102 are shown in FIG. 13 stacked andbonded together at the border 106 with the sheets of material 102 beinggenerally aligned with one another. It will be appreciated that anynumber of sheets of material 102 can be incorporated into the packagingmaterial 100 depending on the density of the strips of material 104desired. It will also be appreciated that the sheets of material 102 canbe stacked and bonded together with the sheets of material 102 arrangedin a variety of other configurations relative to one another, such aswith the strips of material 104 of every other sheet of material 102being oriented in a direction opposite the direction of orientation ofthe adjacent sheets of material 102.

[0070] The bonding of the sheets of material 102 can be achieved in anysuitable manner. That is, the sheets of material 102 can be connectedtogether with an adhesive or a cohesive. Where the bonding material is acohesive, a similar cohesive material must be placed on the adjacentsurface for bondingly contacting and bondingly engaging with thecohesive material. The sheets of material 102 can also be connectedtogether with materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance,the adjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact andthen heat must be applied to effect the seal. The sheets of material 102can be connected with a heat sealing lacquer which may be applied to thesheet of material and, in this instance, heat also must be applied toeffect the sealing. It should be understood that the bonding of thesheets of material 102 can be achieved with tape, staples, or any otherconnecting means well known in the art.

[0071] To secure the packaging material 100 within a container, such asa basket 68 (FIG. 11), for example, at least one side of the border 106of an outermost sheet of material 102 of the packaging material 100 maybe provided with a bonding material. The border 106 is illustrated inFIG. 13 as having a strip of bonding material 110. It will beappreciated, however, that the bonding material 110, like the bondingmaterial 70 described above, may be applied in such a manner as tosubstantially cover one or both of the first and second sides of theborder 106. Further, the bonding material 110 may be disposed in any ofa variety of other patterns such as circles, dots or any other geometricor biomorphic shape, including decorative designs, so long as thebonding material 110 is positioned to function in accordance with thepresent invention. As an alternative, or in addition, to providing theborder 106 with the bonding material 110, the strips of material 104 canbe coated with a bonding material in the manner described above inreference to the strips of material 12 and 64, whereby the individualstrips of material 104 of the packaging material 100 are caused to sticktogether when the strips of material 104 are amassed to form a tuft. Asshown in FIG. 13, the strips of material 64 are provided with a bondingmaterial 112. The strips of material 104 are illustrated in FIG. 13 asbeing spot coated with the bonding material 112. It will be appreciated,however, that the bonding material 112 may be applied in such a manneras to substantially cover one or both sides of the strips of material104, or as strips. Further, the bonding material 112 may be disposed inany of a variety of other patterns such as circles, dots or any othergeometric or biomorphic shape, including decorative designs, so long asthe bonding material 112 is positioned to function in accordance withthe present invention.

[0072] The packaging material 100 is used in a manner identical to thatdescribed above in relation to the packaging material 60.

[0073]FIG. 15 illustrates another embodiment of a packaging material120. The packaging material 120 is similar to the packaging material 60described above with the exception that the packaging material 120 hasstrips of material extending from opposing ends of the border. Morespecifically, the packaging material 120 includes a sheet of flexiblematerial 122 having a plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterial 124 extending from one end of a border 126 and a plurality ofstrips of material 128 extending from an opposing end of the border 126whereby the strips of flexible material 124 and 128 are integrallyinterconnected to one another. As such, the strips of material 124 and128 may be intertwined with one another so as to form a resilient tuft,while the mess associated with loose packing or filler materials fallingonto the floor or clinging to various objects is alleviated.

[0074] Like the packaging material 60 and 100 described above, thepackaging material 120 may be provided with a bonding material to securethe packaging material 120 within a container, such as the basket 68(FIG. 11). The border 126 is illustrated in FIG. 15 as having a strip ofbonding material 130.

[0075] Also like the packaging material 60 and 100, the packagingmaterial 120 may be coated with a bonding material in the mannerdescribed above in reference to the strips of material 12, 64 and 104,whereby the individual strips of material 124 and 128 of the packagingmaterial 120 are caused to stick together when the strips of material124 and 128 are amassed to form a tuft. As shown in FIG. 15, the stripsof material 124 and 128 are provided with a bonding material 132.

[0076] The packaging material 120 is used in a manner identical to thatdescribed above in relation to the packaging material 60.

[0077]FIG. 16 illustrates yet another embodiment of a packaging material140. The packaging material 140 is similar to the packaging material 100described above with the exception that the packaging material 140 isconstructed of a plurality of sheets of material 142 stacked and bondedtogether. Each sheet of material 142 is substantially identical to thesheets of material 122 described above. That is, each sheet of material142 has a plurality of individual strips or strands of materialextending from one side of a border and a plurality of strips ofmaterial extending from an opposing side of the border. The packagingmaterial 140 may also include a bonding material 144 for securing thepackaging material within a container and the strips of material of thepackaging material 140 may be coated with a bonding material 144 wherebythe individual strips of material of the packaging material 140 arecaused to stick together when the strips of material 140 are amassed toform a tuft.

[0078] From the above description it is clear that the present inventionis well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantagesmentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. Whilepresently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described forpurposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changesmay be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled inthe art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventiondisclosed and as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A package, comprising: a container; a packagingmaterial comprising a plurality of strips of flexible material, each ofthe strips of flexible material having a first end and a second end, thestrips of flexible material integrally interconnected to one anotheralong a border so as to form a one piece unit and the strips of materialintertwined with one another to form a resilient tuft, the packagingmaterial positioned in the container and the border secured to thecontainer; and an article positioned in the container and on thepackaging material so that the resilient tuft of the packaging materialcushionly supports the article.
 2. A package, comprising: a container; apackaging material comprising a flexible sheet of material having aborder with a first end having a plurality of strips of materialextending therefrom and a second end having a plurality of strips ofmaterial extending therefrom, the packaging material positioned in thecontainer and the border secured to the container; and an articlepositioned in the container and on the packaging material so that thestrips of material of the packaging material cushionly support thearticle.
 3. A package, comprising: a container; a packaging materialcomprising a plurality of strips of flexible material, each of thestrips of flexible material having a first end and a second end, thestrips of flexible material integrally interconnected to one anotheralong a border so as to form a one piece unit, the packaging materialpositioned in the container and the border secured to the container; andan article positioned in the container and on the packaging material sothat the the packaging material cushionly supports the article.